Gold Volume Profile & Session Heatmap
Where gold really traded: volume-by-price profiles for the last 5 and 20 COMEX sessions with point of control and value area, a session-by-session table, and an hour-by-weekday volume and range heatmap in your time zone.
Volume profile, 27 Oct – 2 Nov 2026 ($5 price bins)
Volume profile, 6 Oct – 2 Nov 2026 ($10 price bins)
Point of control Value area (70% of volume) Outside value
Session by session (last 10, $1 bins)
| Session | POC | Value area | Range | Close vs value | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 3,966.5 | 3,910.0 – 3,977.0 | 3,900.0 – 3,976.8 | 3,966.8 (inside) | 119k |
| Fri 30 Oct | 3,905.5 | 3,885.0 – 3,991.0 | 3,879.3 – 4,038.2 | 3,898.9 (inside) | 223k |
| Thu 29 Oct | 4,034.5 | 4,027.0 – 4,050.0 | 4,016.3 – 4,081.7 | 4,033.3 (inside) | 136k |
| Wed 28 Oct | 4,059.5 | 4,048.0 – 4,074.0 | 4,036.9 – 4,097.2 | 4,081.2 (above) | 142k |
| Tue 27 Oct | 4,072.5 | 4,023.0 – 4,080.0 | 4,001.6 – 4,079.4 | 4,073.1 (inside) | 131k |
| Mon 26 Oct | 4,031.5 | 4,017.0 – 4,041.0 | 3,990.9 – 4,044.0 | 4,031.0 (inside) | 118k |
| Fri 23 Oct | 4,036.5 | 4,014.0 – 4,048.0 | 3,989.1 – 4,050.2 | 4,007.9 (below) | 169k |
| Thu 22 Oct | 4,103.5 | 4,055.0 – 4,111.0 | 4,036.8 – 4,164.3 | 4,039.8 (below) | 201k |
| Wed 21 Oct | 4,147.5 | 4,135.0 – 4,156.0 | 4,122.3 – 4,160.6 | 4,159.5 (above) | 141k |
| Tue 20 Oct | 4,139.5 | 4,134.0 – 4,154.0 | 4,130.1 – 4,174.9 | 4,142.5 (inside) | 152k |
Over the last 120 sessions, the next session traded back through the previous session's POC 66% of the time and closed inside the previous value area 13% of the time. History, not a forecast.
When gold trades: hour-by-weekday heatmap (last 120 sessions, UTC)
| 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 4.5k | 7.1k | 5.5k | 3.7k | 2.8k | 4.6k | 5.4k | 5.8k | 5.8k | 5.9k | 4.2k | 5.7k | 9.6k | 15.4k | 14.8k | 10.0k | 8.2k | 8.4k | 4.2k | 4.5k | 2.2k | 2.8k | ||
| Tue | 4.3k | 6.2k | 6.4k | 4.0k | 3.2k | 5.1k | 5.1k | 5.6k | 7.6k | 6.5k | 5.0k | 5.5k | 10.7k | 14.6k | 14.8k | 9.9k | 7.7k | 7.8k | 7.5k | 5.5k | 2.9k | 2.4k | ||
| Wed | 4.2k | 7.1k | 5.1k | 4.0k | 2.3k | 4.3k | 4.8k | 5.1k | 5.1k | 4.9k | 4.7k | 5.9k | 16.7k | 17.2k | 15.0k | 13.6k | 8.1k | 8.5k | 13.1k | 9.2k | 2.9k | 2.8k | ||
| Thu | 5.1k | 7.5k | 6.0k | 4.2k | 2.8k | 5.8k | 6.2k | 6.1k | 6.3k | 5.5k | 5.6k | 7.0k | 15.4k | 15.9k | 14.8k | 10.7k | 9.5k | 9.5k | 5.7k | 5.4k | 2.6k | 2.3k | ||
| Fri | 3.6k | 7.1k | 4.5k | 4.0k | 3.4k | 5.0k | 5.7k | 5.3k | 5.2k | 4.4k | 4.0k | 5.3k | 17.7k | 19.4k | 24.9k | 14.2k | 12.6k | 10.1k | 6.0k | 5.5k | 2.1k | |||
| Sun | 3.3k | 2.9k |
Each cell: average volume (thousand contracts) or average high-low range of the one-hour bars starting at that hour. Busiest hours in this window: Fri 14:00 UTC, Fri 13:00 UTC, Fri 12:00 UTC. Times are shown in your time zone when your browser allows it.
Data: COMEX gold futures (GC=F) 1-hour bars with volume via Yahoo Finance (continuous front-month series), updated 2026-11-02. Each bar's volume is spread evenly across its high-low range, so this is an approximation of a tick-level profile.
What a gold volume profile shows
A volume profile turns the chart sideways: instead of volume per hour, it shows how many contracts traded at each price. The price with the most volume is the point of control (POC); the band around it that holds 70% of all volume is the value area, between the value area high (VAH) and low (VAL). Over the last 5 sessions gold's POC was 4,047.5, with value from 3,955.0 to 4,080.0; over 20 sessions the POC was 4,145.0.
How traders read it
- Value area as fair price: prices inside value are where most business was done. Moves away from it either find acceptance (volume builds at the new prices) or get rejected back into value.
- POC as a magnet: in the last 120 sessions, the next session traded back through the previous POC 66% of the time. That is common because the POC usually sits near the middle of the range, not because it is special.
- Low-volume areas: thin parts of the profile are prices the market passed through quickly. They often act as fast zones rather than support or resistance.
- Timing: volume is concentrated in a few hours. The heatmap shows them; compare with the price-range view on when gold moves the most and the gold market hours page.
Method and limits
- Data: one-hour COMEX gold futures bars with volume (GC=F, continuous front-month series via Yahoo Finance). Spot XAUUSD has no central volume; futures volume is the standard public proxy.
- A session is the CME trading day, 6 pm to 5 pm New York time, named by the date it ends. Only weekday sessions with at least three bars count.
- Each hour's volume is spread evenly over its high-low range. Exchange tick data would place it exactly; that data is paid, so this is a close public approximation.
- Value area: start at the POC and add the neighbouring price bin with more volume until 70% of the total is covered.
- Around contract rolls, volume in the continuous series can jump as activity moves to the next month.
Frequently asked questions
What is the point of control in gold?
The price level where the most gold futures contracts traded over the chosen period. Over the last 5 sessions it was 4,047.5.
What is the value area?
The price range around the point of control that contains 70% of the traded volume. Its top is the value area high (VAH) and its bottom the value area low (VAL).
Does spot XAUUSD have volume?
Spot gold trades over the counter, so there is no single public volume figure. Brokers show tick volume (number of price changes). COMEX gold futures volume is the closest public measure of real traded size.
How often is this updated?
With the site’s hourly data refresh. The newest session can still be in progress, so its profile changes until 5 pm New York time.
Which hours have the most gold volume?
In the last 120 sessions the busiest one-hour bars were Fri 14:00 UTC, Fri 13:00 UTC, Fri 12:00 UTC, around the US data releases and the New York open. The heatmap shows every hour in your own time zone.
Is a volume profile a trading signal?
No. It describes where trading happened. Use it as context for support, resistance and risk, never as a buy or sell instruction.
Educational tool only. Not financial advice and not a signal. Check your own broker's contract specification, margin rules and costs. Past data does not predict future prices. See our risk disclaimer.